The finer dining soul food restaurant Nafsi just opened inside the historic South Shore Cultural Center , a former country club that once barred Black and Jewish people from membership on the South Side of Chicago. Executive chef Dondee Robinson, last at the critically acclaimed Bronzeville Winery , has created a menu reclaiming the space, with a nod to the family history of restaurant owner Donnell Digby, best known for The Woodlawn venue. “To have a Black-owned restaurant, and a Black executive chef in an establishment that once didn’t want us here,” Robinson said, “it’s a statement.
” Nafsi is a Swahili word that means soul, said the chef, so their concept is elevated soul food “to bring new flavors and new ideas to the South Shore community.” “We both have some background in South Shore,” said Digby, who always wanted to create a space with a certain “style and vibration” for everyone to enjoy in the neighborhood. The restaurant had a soft opening on Sept.
3 with a friends and family menu and a few items have emerged as early fan favorites. “We have char-grilled oysters with Creole butter, breadcrumbs and a little Parmesan cheese,” said the chef, who finishes them with a hit of fresh lemon and chives. His catfish and grits pays homage to Digby’s family.
Oysters at Nafsi on Sept. 19, 2024. (E.
Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune) The catfish at Nafsi, fried catfish with white polenta grits and a Creole bechamel sauce. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tr.